The Andromeda Strain (1971) Part 10

The best-selling novel by Michael Crichton was faithfully adapted for this taut 1971 thriller, about a team of scientists(Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid and Paula Kelly) racing against time to destroy a deadly alien virus that threatens to wipe out life on Earth. As usual with any Crichton-based movie, the emphasis is on an exciting clash between nature and science, beginning when virologists discover the outer-space virus in a tiny town full of corpses. Projecting total contamination, the scientists isolate the deadly strain in a massive, high-tech underground lab facility, which is rigged for nuclear destruction if the virus is not successfully controlled. The movie spends a great deal of time covering the scientific procedures of the high-pressure investigation, and the rising tensions between scientists who have been forced to work in claustrophobic conditions. It's all very fascinating if you're interested in scientific method and technological advances but it's more effective as a thriller in which tension is derived not only from the deadly threat of the virus, but from the escalating fear and anxiety among the small group of people who've been assigned to save the human race. The basic premise is still captivating; it's easy to see how this became the foundation of Crichton's science-thriller empire.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Andromeda
• Strain
• Virus
• Michael
• Crichton

[renascentvineyards]

"i feel funny."

"the germ people."

lol

[alpha8147]

A micro organism that dessolves plastic, I wonder if something like that do exist in reality.

[evfich]

ah yes, go on and grab that bone with your bare hands without knowing whats going on first...general.

[tall32guy]

RIP Michael.

[SLRL1A1]

Almost. There is a strain of Flavobacterium that synthesizes enzymes that can digest nylon.

[Bobanort]

The nurse is the nurse at the retirement home in "Bubba Hotep" that does "that thing" to Elvis. I just happened to notice her face and voice.

This film is great and I'm so glad you posted it!!

[Bobanort]

it's actually possible - remember that most of those hoses were made with natural rubber, making the composition at least semi-organic. True synthetics would be pretty improbable. Natural rubber seals break down with just age. The 40 year old spacesuits at nasa are unuseable because the seals have decayed over the years.

[Woodlot75]

Such organisms do exist in fact, if you google for plastic eating bacteria, you'll find several.

[10INTM]

Hey, that was Robert Loggia; he has that distinct voice. Just glad that nobody got stuck behind him in line at the airport (that's a Family Guy reference).

[Leechbat]

Yah, Thats quite impossible, but it gives a more dramatical charge to the movie...

[neemz2000]

An organism that dissolves plastic was a common theme in sci-fi in the early 70s. The UK BBC TV series "Doomwatch" featured an organism designed to dissolve plastic waste.